Month: November 2017

Hope Thou In God! Hope is a powerful commodity! We live in a world full of hopelessness. Even within the confines of the church, we find people that are in despair. They know the right words to say and the right look to put on the face, but on a deeper level, there is hopelessness.…

I have heard this term many times. A husband or wife may say, “Let’s not go there. That will open up ‘a can of worms.’” A parent may say, “I don’t want to open up that ‘can of worms.’ What do they mean? Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘a can of worms’ as “a situation that causes…

On March 4, 1933, the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, gave his inaugural address to the nation. Within his speech, he uttered these words: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed…

I find it somewhat surprising and definitely disconcerting that many of us, as Apostolics, struggle with a basic tenet of Scripture. As much as God has forgiven us of, as much as He has extended His grace toward us, many of us, preacher and saint, struggle with forgiving. We propagate the necessity of forgiving others…

What does celebrate your weakness mean? I have said for many years that it takes a strong person to recognize their weaknesses. When people come to me for help, I do my best for them. Those who refuse to see fault in themselves or admit to any frailty, I am unable to help. People like…

What does it mean to embrace your pain? Most people are coming out of a painful situation, amid an unpleasant situation or going into a distressing situation. There are very few people that enjoy pain, but suffering is part of the human experience. Jesus promised us we would have trouble. So, the question is not…

Idealistic Distortion is a term Prepare/Enrich uses for pre-marital or marriage counseling. Idealistic Distortion measures the extent to which a person distorts the relationship in a positive direction. A scale of 1-100 is used to measure Idealistic Distortion. A score below 40 indicates a more realistic approach to describing the relationship. However, a score above…

If you go to Webster’s Dictionary, you will find ‘love’ defined as a noun and a verb. The majority of its definitions are nouns. It seems to me that Webster struggles to define ‘love.’ They do a decent job describing a variety of feelings they connect to love but fall short defining love itself. That’s…

Society is confused with what safe sex really is. Sex is a subject Apostolics tend to think about more than discuss. I teach a class in my marriage seminar entitled “Fun.” It deals explicitly with the topic of sex in marriage. Interestingly enough, it is the most favorite session taught. I get more positive feedback…

How many times have you heard, “That’s not fair?” How many times have you said or thought that something wasn’t fair? In my experience, the desire for fairness is not something relegated to just one age group. I’ve heard children, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults, and retired folks all proclaim how something in life is…

Sounds good, right? Many don’t mind saying “practice what you preach,” but most don’t like hearing it. Many of you are licensed preachers. All of you are preachers. I hope each of you will read this short post in its entirety. Most preaching does not take place behind a pulpit. Preaching takes place in the…

Amid Paul’s longest sentence found in Ephesians chapter four is the admonition to “Speak the Truth in Love.” It’s a whole lot easier to read this or memorize these words then it is to live it. I am convinced most people speak what is right to them. It may not be the whole truth, but…